Subscription Databases & Electronic Resources
Last Reviewed & Updated: December 2025
Budget
At the beginning of each Fall term, the Collection Development & Acquisitions Librarian and the Library Director will review the availability of Foundation, general and non-general funds for subscription databases/online reference platforms for that fiscal year. Most content databases and e-resources are purchased from the library’s general fund, Library Capital account.
Our ILS (Alma) is employed to track database/electronic resource use stats, subscription dates, costs and renewals and is updated and maintained by the Collection Development/Acquisitions specialist.
What’s Covered Elsewhere
Generally, electronic journal packages, streaming video collections, individual streaming video products and electronic book collections will be funded from their respective Library Capital lines and follow separate (although similar) decision making processes guided by the Collection Development & Acquisitions Librarian.
Trials and subscriptions to web-based information management systems and services that are not content oriented are managed by the Systems & Discovery Librarian. The Outreach and Instruction Librarian is responsible for online applications that support the library’s reference and research services.
Database/Online Reference Platforms—Trials and Selection
Potential subscription databases and online resources will be identified through meetings with departments, faculty recommendations, and librarian research. Database purchase decisions are made depending on applicability to COCC programs and curriculum, full-text vs. citation access, review sources, pricing, indexing and searching viability, peer institution precedent and consortial purchasing participation and pricing agreements. Preliminary assessment will include:
- Basic cost and pricing models for the database
- Licensing models (number of users, etc.)
- Relevance to specific COCC curriculum and programs
- Department and faculty interest and investment
- Brief analysis of database compared to current COCC database holdings esp. regarding platform, duplication of key titles, and comparative full text holdings.
- Brief search of other consortial libraries—especially community college libraries—subscribing to the database.
- User interface—ease of use and ADA compliance.
The Collection Development & Acquisitions Librarian will follow up with database vendors and establish pricing and licensing requirements, possible existing Orbis-Cascades consortial licenses and pricing, and set up a trial. College and library staff will have the opportunity to experiment with and comment on trial versions of databases/online reference collections under consideration for purchase. User comments and use statistics will be recorded for trial databases.
Based on user feedback, with particular attention to teaching faculty, trial use stats, price negotiation and available funds, the Collection Development & Acquisitions Librarian will bring potential database purchases to library management meetings for final decisions.
Annual Review and Renewals
Subscription databases and online resources will be reviewed annually for use statistics
and continued relevance to COCC curriculum. Products with poor cost-per-use performance
will be monitored, although factors beyond cost-per-use are considered as well. Relevant
departments will be informed of database “monitor” status; our Instruction and Outreach
librarian is prepared to work with faculty on integrating database and electronic
resources into course curriculum.
Factors for considering product cancellations include:
- Is this resource relevant to current curriculum?
- Is this resource used?
- Has content, journal holdings (citation and full text), or platform changes made this resource less relevant or useful to our current curriculum?
- Can the content and/or function of this resource be attained by another, currently held COCC subscription?
- Does this resource have unique content or function essential to COCC programs?
- What is the cost-per-use for this resource?
- Is this resource available within the Deschutes Public Library system?
Database purchase decisions can be made at any time during the academic year but need to be completed by the middle of spring term each AY. Consortially licensed database renewal dates often depend on the Orbis-Cascades and Oregon State Library renewal calendar. Direct license products comply with COCC’s amortization policy (established in FY26) with subscription renewals occurring on a July to June schedule.
Subscription renewals approved by the Collection Development & Acquisitions Librarian are processed by the Technical Services Coordinator.